Compartmented portable dispensing container



F. P. CIANCIOLO COMFARTMENTED PORTABLE DISPENSING CONTAIN June 6, 1967 Filed April 20, 1966 I INVENTOR mizaoio Karma/MY 7 7 igwe FranZrFf BY iii:

Unitcd States Patent 3,323,683 COMPARTMENTED PORTABLE DISPENSING CONTAINER Frank P. Cianciolo, 138 Whitfield St., Guilford, Conn. 06437 Filed Apr. 20, 1966, Ser. No. 543,954 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-142.6)

This invention relates to a portable container for dispensing fiowable materials and in particular to a device for dispensing materials from a plurality of compartments.

One object of my invention is to provide a light weight device having a plurality of compartments so disposed as to permit selection of a desired material from a particular compartment and dispense the same, as for example condiments such as salt or pepper.

Another object is to provide means within the respective compartment to restrain undesired flow of material therein to avoid compacting adjacent the aperture so as to prevent clogging.

Yet another object is to provide means for preventing the undesired flow of material from the container.

Another object is to provide a dispenser which can easily be cleaned.

Another object is to provide a dispenser which is low in cost to manufacture.

Still another object is to provide a dispenser which can easily be disposed of such as might be used on picnics and in airplanes.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of my invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a ly in section;

FIGURE 2 is an elevation shown partly in section of the dispenser shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view shown partially in section to illustrate my device in the process of dispensing material from one of its compartments;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view partially cut away of another embodiment of my invention, and;

FIGURE 5 is an elevation, partially sectioned, of the embodiment shown in FIGURE 4.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral denotes the container in general which in the preferred form is made of a moldable plastic material. A cylindrical case 11 is formed with a closed bottom end. A partition 13 received in groove 19 in the bottom of the case and grooves 30 in the sides of the case 11 divides the case into two compartments which may be used for diiferent dispensing materials. as, for example, salt and pepper, respectively. A rotatable cover 12 is provided with an aperture 16 (FIGURE 2) which, when registering with diametrically disposed apertures formed in the wall of the case 11 and communicating with a respective compartment, permits the selected dispensing material to flow out of the respective compartment when the case is tilted for that purpose. The cover 12 is provided with groove 18 which receives head 17 formed on the case 11 as means for retaining the cover 12 in rotating engagement with the case 11.

Baffles 14 mounted on each side of partition 13, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, extend toward the interior wall surface of the case 11 to thereby form a restricted passage 33, whereby a portion of the material is retained from moving into the dispensing end zone so that the dispensing aperture is never clogged by the pressure of the material when the container is tilted for dispensing.

In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGURE 2, the cap 12 may be removed to fill or empty the compartplan view of my dispenser shown part- 3,323,683 Patented June 6, 1967 ments, while in the embodiment shown in FIGURE 6 the end cap 20 may be removed for filling or both caps 12 and 20 may be removed to facilitate cleaning.

FIGURES 4 and 5 show another embodiment in which the dispensing end zone has a rounded out configuration with the apertures 24 located in the end closure 23. In this embodiment there is no rotatable closure cap as employed in the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 6; thus, by a slight twist of the wrist or a rolling between the fingers the container is changed from one kind of material to be dispensed from a first compartment to a second kind of material to be dispensed from the second compartment, as desired. The closure 23 is secured to the case 32 by the usual means of a groove 29 receiving a bead 28. However, other suitable means may be used to secure the end closure to the casing. In this embodiment numeral 26 denotes a boss on the end closure provided with a groove 27 to receive the adjacent end of the partition 25.

While I have disclosed in my preferred embodiment the groove structure to receive the edge of the partition any suitable guide means may be used which will also permit the removal of the partitions either 13 or 25 for cleaning the dispenser or the like. Also, the containers may be formed of layers of paper or of cardboard and after filling the caps may be sealed to the case and the entire container discarded when empty.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangements of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. A portable container for dispensing a selected material from one of a pair of compartments formed therein comprising, an elongated tubular member having each end thereof closed by an end wall, one of said end walls being removably mounted on said tubular member whereby the container may be filled with materials to be dispensed, a partition extending longitudinally through said tubular member and dividing the interior of the container into a pair of compartments for receiving selected materials to be dispensed, groove means formed in the interior wall of the tubular member and in at least one end wall, the lateral edges and one end edge of the parti tion being slidably mounted within the groove means in the interior wall of said tubular member and in the end wall, respectively, whereby the partition is removably mounted within the tubular member to facilitate assembling and cleaning, a baflle secured toeach side of said partition intermediate the closed ends of the tubular member, each baffle extending outwardly of said partition into a respective compartment in the direction of the interior surface of the tubular member, whereby the respective compartments are divided into a dispensing zone and a storage zone, the ends of the baffles being spaced from the interior wall of the tubular member to thereby form a restricted passage between the storage zone and dispensing zone, whereby the longitudinal flow of the material between said zones is restricted, each dispensing zone of the container having an aperture formed in the container wall and communicating directly with the respective dispensing zone, whereby the material to be dispensed flows freely from the dispensing zone through said apertu-re into unrestricted open space beyond the container when the container is held in a dispensing position for the respective desired material.

2. A portable container according to claim 1, wherein one of the end walls is formed with a skirt portion forming a closure for said dispensing apertures, said skirt having a port formed therein adapted to be selectively aligned with the dispensing apertures when moved to open position.

3. A portable container according to claim 2, wherein the end wall includes means for rotatably mounting it on the end of the container, said rotatable means comprising a bead formed on the end of the tubular member cooperating with a complementary groove formed in the end wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

10 N. L. STACK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PORTABLE CONTAINER FOR DISPENSING A SELECTED MATERIAL FROM ONE OF A PAIR OF COMPARTMENTS FORMED THEREIN COMPRISING, AN ELONGAED TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING EACH END THEREOF CLOSED BY AN END WALL, ONE OF SAID END WALLS BEING REMOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID TUBULAR MEMBER WHEREBY THE CONTAINER MAY BE FILLED WITH MATERIALS TO BE DISPENSED, A PARTITION EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND DIVIDING THE INTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER INTO A PAIR OF COMPARTMENTS FOR RECEIVING SELECTED MATERIALS TO BE DISPENSED, GROOVE MEANS FORMED IN THE INTERIOR WALL OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER AND IN AT LEAST ONE END WALL, THE LATERAL EDGES AND ONE END EDGE OF THE PARTITION BEING SLIDABLY MOUNTED WITHIN TEH GROOVE MEANS IN THE INTERIOR WALL OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND IN THE END WALL, RESPECTIVELY, WHEREBY THE PARTITION IS REMOVABLY MOUNTED WITHIN THE TUBULAR MEMBER TO FACILITATE ASSEMBLING AND CLEANING, A BAFFLE SECURED TO EACH SIDE OF SAID PARTITION INTERMEDIATE THE CLOSED ENDS OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER, EACH BAFFLE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF SAID PARTITION INTO A RESPECTIVE COMPARTMENT IN THE DIRECTION OF THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER, WHEREBY THE RESPECTIVE COMPARTMENTS ARE DIVIDED INTO A DISPENSING ZONE AND A STORAGE ZONE, THE ENDS OF THE BAFFLES BEING SPACED FROM THE INTERIOR WALL OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER TO THEREBY FORM A RESTRICTED PASSAGE BETWEEN THE STORAGE ZONE AND DISPENSING ZONE, WHEREBY THE LONGITUDINAL FLOW OF THE MATERIAL BETWEEN SAID ZONES IS RESTRICTED, EACH DISPENSING ZONE OF THE CONTAINER HAVING AN APERTURE FORMED IN THE CONTAINER WALL AND COMMUNICATING DIRECTLY WITH THE RESPECTIVE DISPENSING ZONE, WHEREBY THE MATERIAL TO BE DISPENSED FLOWS FREELY FROM THE DISPENSING ZONE THROUGH SAID APERTURE INTO UNRESTRICTED OPEN SPACE BEYOND THE CONTAINER WHEN THE CONTAINER IS HELD IN A DISPENSING POSITION FOR THE RESPECTIVE DESIRED MATERIAL. 